


Reaching for Something

by sake2000



Category: Naruto
Genre: Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto) Feels, F/F, Haruno Sakura & Hatake Kakashi - Freeform, Haruno Sakura-centric, Kakashi is that awkward older brother attempting to be a parent for Sakura, Lonely Sakura, M/M, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-21 16:00:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13744380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sake2000/pseuds/sake2000
Summary: Sakura sees them. Her teammates, wrestling around on the training grounds, as though they were a world apart from everyone else. She sees the way Naruto fists a tuft of black hair with a soft yet ferocious smile, how Sasuke’s face seems to soften a bit whenever the blonde demands a fight with him. They always seems to be more at peace within the other's presence. Sakura sees all of this and it aches.She wants something like that too.





	1. Wanting Something You Don't Even Know

It’s just another day at their usual training ground. The sky is clear with small remnants of clouds and the air is unusually humid. It’s humid to the point that all three genins of Team 7 come to the unanimous decision to collapse upon the refreshingly cool grass while carefully ignoring the charcoaled patches caused by a stray fire jutsu (courtesy of one Uchiha Sasuke). Nearby, their sensei flips another page of his orange book and giggles.

Sakura lays an uncomfortably sweaty arm over her eyes. The sun is harsh today with its unforgiving rays of light that beam through the air. She decides a brief nap would adequately rest her dry eyes.

At least, until the peace is soon broken by Naruto who always recovers frustratingly fast. By the time she opens her eyelids again, the blonde is on his feet and loudly complaining. “Oi, teme! I’m bored as hell and we already went through all the stupid  katas. Spar with me!”

The Uchiha paints a facade of disdain, but Sakura, from where she is laying on the grass, can see the barest twitch of his lips. He always did suck at acting.

“Hn. Let’s see if you can even last a minute, dobe.”

And then they’re at one another like cats and dogs in such an entrancing fight of sorts.

Sakura finds herself watching them intensely. She doesn’t notice how her hand is reaching towards the two, as if drawn by the strange bonds between them. When she does though, she retracts her hand as though it were on fire. From her peripheral vision, she sees Kakashi gaze at her inquisitively. She coughs into her hand.

“I’m heading home now, Kakashi-sensei. My-uh-mother needs me to run some errands for her.”

“Is that so?”  
  
“Yes.”

He gives her an indecipherable look that makes her squirm in place before dismissing her with a wave of his hands. “Mah, mah, I suppose I’ll have to let you go for today. Arrive tomorrow by six o’ clock for training.”

Sakura salutes him before running off.

Once she sees the outline of her home, she slows down from a run to a lackluster stroll. Sakura opens the front door and lets herself in.

“I’m home,” she says to an empty house. She sighs. It’s not as though she expects her parents to welcome her home. They’ve been out and about for the past few months, expanding their merchant business past their established reaches. Last she’s heard, they were up in the Land of Tea.

Still, Sakura frowns, knowing that doesn’t make an empty house feel any warmer. She closes the door behind her and goes through her usual routine before heading off to sleep. When she finally collapses on her bed, she’s ready to call it a night until her mind revisits a memory from earlier.

And suddenly, Sakura sees them. Her teammates, wrestling around on the training grounds, as though they were a world apart from everyone else. She sees the way Naruto fists a tuft of black hair with a soft yet ferocious smile, how Sasuke’s face seems to soften a bit when the blonde demands a fight with him. They always seems to be more at peace within the other's presence. Sakura sees all of this and it aches.

She wants something like that too.


	2. A Simple Talk (Not Really)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi and Sakura talk. Sakura doesn't understand herself.

“I see you’ve taken too much after your dear sensei.”

It’s four in the morning the next day, and Sakura’s at the training grounds. Her sore muscles are demanding that she rest more, but her mind is a whirlwind of yesterday and memories that filter in and out relentlessly. They do not let her sleep, so she trains instead.

It is only after her kunai hits another kunai does she realize that the training post has become a wooden pincushion. She faintly registers Kakashi’s words and decides to ignore them. Sakura might have no qualms with training before the sun has even risen up, but it’s far too early to deal with her sensei. She goes and retrieves her weapons from the poor, practically demolished training post.

She hears him clear his throat before he punches the air out of her gut.

“Voyeurism is a rather unexpected hobby of yours, Sakura-kun.”

With his words.

Sakura gapes and flushes at the same time because what? Did her sensei-did he just-

“W-what are you talking about?!” She sputters, because Kakashi must be going senile in old age if he’s saying she’s anything like that (even though he’s probably younger than her father, but same difference...). “I am _not_ a pervert like you, you-you-”   
  
He raises a hand. “Okay, if you say so,” Kakashi placates her (and Sakura rages at the indignity of it all), but then he arches an eyebrow. “Although, a certain _somebody_ was looking a bit too bitter for her age yesterday. Now, I’m no Nara, but I _know_ you, and something tells me it wasn’t the aspect of Sasuke and Naruto sparring like headless chickens without including you that made you look like that.”

And that’s when she deflates from her rising anger. Was it really that obvious?

“Care to tell me?”

“...no.”

A minute of uncomfortable silence passes.

“I hear talking to others help.”

She hesitantly pauses then sighs. “It’s nothing, really.” She sees him about to raise that damnable eyebrow of his again and hurries on to explain. “It’s just that they always seem-well-it’s...there’s something between those two. A-and their bond-or whatever it is-it’s just so _prominent_ and _warm_ and they’re always so, _so_ happy around each other even if they don’t know it and I-I _hate_ it!” Sakura’s clenched hands trembles, wrought in emotions she couldn’t understand. She takes a shaky breath. “Well, not _hate_ , but I...I want something like that. I want to _feel_ like that too…” Sakura voice dies out as a sudden onslaught of shame hits her.

Why is she so envious of something like this? She should be glad that those idiots ( _her idiots_ ) have each other! Not this-this _disgusting_ emotion that wells up far more often than she’d  like to admit. They deserve to not be alone, to be happy, and so much _more_ than she could ever express. She’d give them the world if she could.

And why shouldn’t Sakura be happy with her own life? She has a family that’s still alive ( _who pretends she doesn’t exist_ ), a wonderful home ( _that’s always empty)_ , a team she would give her life for ( _but knows they will leave her behind one day, everyone does)_ , and a friend ( _who she doesn’t even talk to anymore)_ . Kami _,_ what more could she want? Nothing. Nothing really.

“Sakura…”

She shakes her head ruefully. “It’s nothing, sensei. I’m being silly.” She finishes plucking the last kunai out of the training post just as two familiar faces arrive on the horizon.

“Hey, Sakura-chan! Did you-Kakashi-sensei? What are you doing here so early?  Crap, I’m probably still sleeping or something…” Naruto says, his voice barely audible to Sakura and Kakashi from how far away he is.

“Tch, only a dobe like _you_ would think this is a dream,” Sasuke scowls, but Sakura _knows_ she just saw his hands nearly twitch for a _kai_ release.

She smiles. Because for all that she envies them for, they are her teammates - _hers_ \- and Sakura wants to believe that that is enough ( _is it though_ ). Besides, it doesn’t hurt that they have the perfect timing to interrupt her uncomfortable conversation with Kakashi. Said man who is emitting low waves of KI to the two new arrivals.

“This isn’t over.”

“Later. At the dango place.”

Kakashi begrudgingly nods before crinkling his eyes in that familiar way of his that ensured of pain. “It seems that you two are _late_ , my cute little monsters.”

And though they wouldn’t admit to such embarrassment, Naruto and Sasuke found themselves clutching the others arm in fear. A smiling Kakashi is a frightening Kakashi, especially if he puts his book away.


End file.
